The conversation went on for quite a while.
Middle-aged men really did get sentimental easily. Gordon found living proof of that in Ernest.
By the end, the old fellow was actually wiping away tears, blaming himself for failing to give Gordon a good enough environment to grow up in.
After listening in bewilderment for ages, Gordon finally understood what the Instructor and the Village Chief meant.
-Kokoto Village was too remote. It lacked the "soil" he needed to grow, and if he wanted to keep getting stronger, he ought to go out and see the world.
Then why not do just that?
Though he was reluctant to leave everyone in Kokoto Village, the thought of seeing a wider world and challenging mysterious monsters he had never even heard of...
That little bit of sadness and reluctance in his heart vanished without a trace!
Of course, he did not forget to ask Porkchop what he thought, and Porkchop's answer was even simpler.
To him, coming to Kokoto Village had only ever been one part of his training away from home. As long as he could stay by Gordon's side, what difference did it make whether they were in Kokoto Village or somewhere else?
With that settled, there was nothing left to hesitate over. Gordon's eagerness to act was both a flaw and a strength.
Once he made up his mind, he pursued his goal with the greatest possible efficiency.
Over the next week or so, Gordon sold off the various furs and medicinal herbs he had collected over the past two or three years. Apart from a few essential hunting materials, he converted everything into easily carried precious metals and cash.
He felt richer than he ever had in his life!
Fortunately, the Instructor was there to keep him on his toes.
Like a nagging old woman, Ernest reminded Gordon over and over that cities were nothing like their remote little village, where they could provide so much for themselves. In a city, everything cost money.
He might have a decent sum on hand now, but if he was not careful, it would disappear in no time.
Hunters were high earners, after all. Falling so low that he had to hunt just to pay for the next day's meals and lodging would be a miserable way to live.
Then there was the question of where he should go first after leaving Kokoto Village.
Gordon decided to ask the Instructor and the Village Chief for advice. What he had not expected was that the two would disagree on this point.
The Instructor recommended Dondurma, the largest and most prosperous human metropolis, which stood at the center of the continent.
The headquarters of the Hunter's Guild, the headquarters of the Royal Wyverian Research Team, the Elder Dragon Observation Bureau, and the world's largest Hunter Gathering Hall were all located there.
Dondurma not only brought together the world's finest hunters, but also boasted the best smithing workshops, markets, research teams, transportation facilities, and other related resources in the world.
In Dondurma, he could even board an airship and reach any hunting ground on the continent in just a few days. It was a convenience Gordon, who had spent his life in Kokoto Village, could scarcely imagine.
The Village Chief, however, disagreed.
He said that Dondurma was indeed wonderful, but it was too wonderful, too perfect. If Gordon, with his limited experience of the world, chose it as the starting point of his journey...
Then it might very well become the end of his journey, too.
Excessive prosperity was a slow poison that wore away one's resolve.
Hearing those words, Gordon realized something clearly for the first time.
-So this old man really had been putting on that senile act all along?!
Unaware of the terribly rude thought running through Gordon's head, the Village Chief continued with his advice.
He recommended two places. The first was Jumbo Village, on the southeastern coast of the continent.
It was a new human settlement established only in recent years. Though it was not yet large enough to qualify as a town, it was developing at an extraordinarily rapid pace.
He also knew Jumbo Village's Village Chief, a young Wyverian of a later generation with plenty of ideas. He was certain that, under that young chief's leadership, another great city would rise in the continent's southeast within a few decades.
Whether Gordon stayed there briefly or settled down for the long term, it would be an excellent choice.
His other recommendation was somewhat more conservative.
-The coastal city of Minegarde.
It was the large human city nearest to Kokoto Village. Though it could not rival Dondurma, it was still one of the continent's ten most prosperous cities.
The greatest advantage of choosing it was familiarity.
Everything from everyday matters such as food, dialect, climate, and local customs to hunting-related matters such as hunting grounds and the distribution of monster populations had much in common with Kokoto Village.
At the same time, Minegarde City had abundant resources that Kokoto Village could never match, enough to give Gordon the best possible environment to grow.
It was, in short, the ideal stepping stone for a fledgling like Gordon, who had only just learned to fly, after leaving the nest.
Three options lay before Gordon.
Holding Porkchop in his arms, Gordon weighed them back and forth, eliminating Jumbo Village first.
Kokoto Village lay in the continent's northwestern corner, while Jumbo Village was in the southeast. Their climates, environments, and ecosystems were worlds apart.
Gordon really had no interest in crossing the entire continent as soon as he left home, only to help develop another patch of wilderness at the ends of the earth. Everyone admired pioneers, but not everyone was cut out to be one.
After wavering for quite some time between Dondurma and Minegarde City, Gordon and Porkchop finally chose the latter.
The reason was simple: no restaurant served its main course right at the start.
Rather than immerse themselves in the very best from the beginning, they would keep something to look forward to and discover it step by step in the future.
Before long, the day of departure arrived.
Almost everyone in Kokoto Village gathered at the village entrance.
Gordon, who was usually so easygoing, found himself at a loss. He truly had not expected so many people to come and see him off.
"Remember to come back and visit when you have time!" The woman next door kept wiping away her tears.
The Blacksmith, who was as burly as a bear, thumped Gordon on the chest and declared heartily, "A man ought to get out there and make his way in the world! Ha! Once you're a famous hunter, I'll put a sign outside my shop!
"'The legendary hunter Gordon's very first weapon was forged right here!' Hahahaha!"
The merchant who ran the item stall, the tavern's landlady, and the village children who were always clamoring about wanting to become hunters...
Everyone in the village came up one by one to say goodbye to Gordon.
Some even brought parting gifts-a bag of dried provisions, perhaps, or a protective charm made from a leaf from a local tree. None of them were worth much money, but Gordon carefully packed away every single one.
Porkchop, standing beside him, received even more gifts, and almost all of them were food.
Dried fish, ham, cheese, sausages, dried bread, catnip-there was a bit of everything.
The little fellow's eyes were brimming with tears, too. When he first arrived in Kokoto Village a year ago, everything here had left him frightened and bewildered.
Now that he was leaving, he suddenly found it hard to let go.
"All right, get going. No need to drag this out. It's only a long journey. We'll see each other again someday." Ernest stood with his arms folded, putting on a bold front.
But everyone could see that this man, who always presented himself as a tough guy, had redder eyes than anyone else.
Gordon sniffed, too. Backing away, he waved hard at everyone, his mouth stretched into a grin as he forced out a hearty laugh. "It won't be long! Once I'm strong enough to beat that Rathalos, I'll come back and kill him! It won't take long!"
P.S. Kokoto Village may be somewhat more "well-known" in the original setting, but if every village that appears in each game is treated as an important location-as though each were the center of the world-the plot becomes difficult to handle. So there will be some adaptation.
Before you continue